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Okay folks, my wife and I have spent 2 years trying to figure out where to move, and despite having made countless numbers of lists, consulted dozens of websites, and weighed about a million options, we're nowhere closer to a decision. But with our house selling within a month, we now have a short window to finally make a decision. So here are the things we're looking for, and I'm hoping this "hail mary" will lead to something. We have the ability to move anywhere, since our jobs are mobile and we have no kids, although for the moment we're focused on the East Coast. I've tried to rank the "needs" and "wants" in order of priority.
Needs
-------
- Low crime rates: where we live now, property crime is abundant and so this is a major consideration
- Somewhere with a more rural (or at most suburban) feel, but within 20-30 minutes from cultural events like plays, music (folk, world, classical), talks/lectures, etc. It's the access to cultural events that conflicts the most with a number of the other "needs" on this list
- Within 30 minutes of at least a regional airport with commercial carriers (Delta preferably). Doesn't need to have direct flights to everywhere
- Within 30 minutes of a large body of water that allows swimming
- Somewhere where it's affordable to rent a 3BR single-family detached home for less than $2,000/month. This also conflicts with a number of other items on the "needs" list
- Possible to get to true nature (not just a small park) within 30 minutes
- Within 40 minutes of a professional baseball team (minor leagues preferred, but majors would do too)
- At least somewhat diverse (i.e., not 95% white)
- Vegetarian food options
- Progressive would be ideal, but at least not very conservative/religious
- Not sweltering hot or freezing cold for most of the year (it can be either of these some of the time)
- Quality schools at the elementary school level
- Decent job possibilities (nonprofit law and medical field)
Wants
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- independent movie theatre within 20 minutes
- walkable in-town areas
- not excessive car traffic
- dog friendly
Places we've considered
----------------------------
- Asheville, NC: still in consideration, but not close to water, not that many nonprofit legal jobs, and not super affordable. Its property crime rates are a bit high too.
- Fayetteville and Little Rock, AR: concerned about the crime rates, esp. in Little Rock.
- Peachtree City, GA: this is our "compromise pick", in that it doesn't excite us but it does meet a number of the criteria above and it has low crime rates.
- Decatur, GA: another compromise pick.
- Portland, ME: we like Portland a lot, but a) it's very white and b) we're not certain we can find an affordable place outside the city that's still close by.
- Northampton, MA: we like Northampton, but it's not close to water and it's on the outer edge of distance to an airport (45 minutes). We're also not sure how affordable it is.
- Burlington and Middlebury, VT: we determined it's just too cold in the winter and the winter lasts too long.
- Ithaca, NY: too expensive, crime rates too high
- Takoma Park, MD: we can't afford it, and it's a bit too urban
- Bloomington, IN: just added to the list today, and so haven't gotten too far into it, but it looks pretty good other than its distance from the airport (about an hour)
Okay, any thoughts people have on either the above-listed places or on any other places we should consider would be most welcome. Thanks in advance for your help!
From your list, I would recommend be Northampton, MA. Considering the only con is distance from the water, I think you'd be happiest there. But if I had to choose one from the list, it would be Portland, ME.
Ithaca's crime rate is too high? That's a new one. It can still be an option given the criteria, especially if you are open to surrounding towns.
To be honest and not a homer, but the Syracuse NY area would fit. Look into the Eastern suburbs(towns of DeWitt and Manlius), as it puts you close to Syracuse University, the Manlius Art Cinema(an independent movie theater in the village of Manlius), traffic isn't bad, there is an International airport in the area, the schools are good, you have plenty of lakes nearby, there are walkable villages and city neighborhoods in close proximity, there's Triple A/International League Baseball here, there is a food co-OP market and health stores in that area and there is a progressive vibe due to the university influence on the East Side of the city into the Eastern suburbs. There are 5 hospitals, quite a few other medical facilities and quite a few non profits as well. Perhaps a rental like this could work: Manlius Real Estate - 4637 Slippery Rock, Manlius, NY, 13104
Rochester would work, with Brighton being a great option. In the Buffalo area, the Eggertsville and Snyder areas of the town of Amherst would work. Guilderland in the Albany area could work. Hopefully other posters will chime in with other suggestions.
- Low crime rates: where we live now, property crime is abundant and so this is a major consideration
- Somewhere with a more rural (or at most suburban) feel, but within 20-30 minutes from cultural events like plays, music (folk, world, classical), talks/lectures, etc. It's the access to cultural events that conflicts the most with a number of the other "needs" on this list
- Within 30 minutes of at least a regional airport with commercial carriers (Delta preferably). Doesn't need to have direct flights to everywhere
- Within 30 minutes of a large body of water that allows swimming
- Somewhere where it's affordable to rent a 3BR single-family detached home for less than $2,000/month. This also conflicts with a number of other items on the "needs" list
- Possible to get to true nature (not just a small park) within 30 minutes
- Within 40 minutes of a professional baseball team (minor leagues preferred, but majors would do too)
- At least somewhat diverse (i.e., not 95% white)
- Vegetarian food options
- Progressive would be ideal, but at least not very conservative/religious
- Not sweltering hot or freezing cold for most of the year (it can be either of these some of the time)
- Quality schools at the elementary school level
- Decent job possibilities (nonprofit law and medical field)
Wants
-------
- independent movie theatre within 20 minutes
- walkable in-town areas
- not excessive car traffic
- dog friendly
Places we've considered
----------------------------
- Bloomington, IN: just added to the list today, and so haven't gotten too far into it, but it looks pretty good other than its distance from the airport (about an hour)
Bloomington, Indiana would be a great fit and as you said ticks off all of your criteria other than airport access which isn't too extreme a drive or the 40 minutes distance to attend minor league baseball games which are an hour away in Indianapolis. Bloomington is very overlooked by those looking for a progressive/cultured place to live as the state in general in't known for those attributes, but definitely a worthwhile option in my opinion.
Ithaca's crime rate is too high? That's a new one. It can still be an option given the criteria, especially if you are open to surrounding towns.
To be honest and not a homer, but the Syracuse NY area would fit. Look into the Eastern suburbs(towns of DeWitt and Manlius), as it puts you close to Syracuse University, the Manlius Art Cinema(an independent movie theater in the village of Manlius), traffic isn't bad, there is an International airport in the area, the schools are good, you have plenty of lakes nearby, there are walkable villages and city neighborhoods in close proximity, there's Triple A/International League Baseball here, there is a food co-OP market and health stores in that area and there is a progressive vibe due to the university influence on the East Side of the city into the Eastern suburbs. There are 5 hospitals, quite a few other medical facilities and quite a few non profits as well. Perhaps a rental like this could work: Manlius Real Estate - 4637 Slippery Rock, Manlius, NY, 13104
Ithaca's crime rate is too high? That's a new one.
It surprised me too, but Sperling's puts its property crime rate at 54.7, compared to 43.5 as the U.S. average. Its violent crime is only slightly higher than the national average, but the property crime is the thing we've been grappling with the most where we currently live. Neighborhood Scout puts Ithaca's violent crime rate as well below the national average, but its property crime rate as almost double the average.
I know the trick with these numbers is that they're an aggregate for the city, and some neighborhoods will be safer than others. But without being very familiar with the city, it's hard to know which neighborhoods to look at, so it's often easier (when considering the entire east coast) to just pick cities that on average have lower crime rates.
It surprised me too, but Sperling's puts its property crime rate at 54.7, compared to 43.5 as the U.S. average. Its violent crime is only slightly higher than the national average, but the property crime is the thing we've been grappling with the most where we currently live. Neighborhood Scout puts Ithaca's violent crime rate as well below the national average, but its property crime rate as almost double the average.
I know the trick with these numbers is that they're an aggregate for the city, and some neighborhoods will be safer than others. But without being very familiar with the city, it's hard to know which neighborhoods to look at, so it's often easier (when considering the entire east coast) to just pick cities that on average have lower crime rates.
It surprised me too, but Sperling's puts its property crime rate at 54.7, compared to 43.5 as the U.S. average. Its violent crime is only slightly higher than the national average, but the property crime is the thing we've been grappling with the most where we currently live. Neighborhood Scout puts Ithaca's violent crime rate as well below the national average, but its property crime rate as almost double the average.
I know the trick with these numbers is that they're an aggregate for the city, and some neighborhoods will be safer than others. But without being very familiar with the city, it's hard to know which neighborhoods to look at, so it's often easier (when considering the entire east coast) to just pick cities that on average have lower crime rates.
The property crime rate is often higher in some smaller cities/towns where there is little to keep adolescent youth occupied in terms of leisure, or even employment options. Securing your possessions in a closed garage (not left open) for example, not leaving valuables visible in your car when parked away from home and maintaining a monitored alarm system would go a long way in minimizing the impact of a higher property crime rate.
The east coast gets disgustingly humid in the summertime and many areas are prone to hurricanes. Just something to keep in mind but the east coast is wonderful.
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